Stadium Shopping Centre: too much too soon?

CALGARY – A finalized master plan has been created for a new shopping centre that will replace a northwest strip mall.

The plan calls for the area to be built “up and out” with the old buildings at Stadium Shopping Centre replaced by a hotel, restaurants, retailers and green space.

The 6.1 acre site is located on the corner of 16^th Avenue and Uxbridge Drive N.W..

Western Securities is presenting the final drawings via a series of open houses and exhibits at the Stadium Centre site over the course of November.

But the elaborate plans aren’t being paraded about without controversy. A piece of land along 16^th Avenue and 29^th Street is a municipal reserve. As part of the plans, it would be sold to the developer.

“We certainly know the developer has the right to develop on their own property. The question is what about public land,” says Peter Khu, President of the University Heights Community Association.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We certainly know the developer has the right to develop on their own property. The question is what about public land," says Peter Khu, President of the University Heights Community Association.

There are also concerns about the affects of increased density and traffic to the area.

“Right across the street there are plans to build a 1.2 million square foot cancer centre. There are plans to build up the new parkade much bigger than before and all that traffic is going to go on 16^th and 29^th,” adds Khu.

The city has listed fourteen conditions that need to be met before the development moves forward.

Area Councillor Ward Sutherland says overall he’s impressed with the plan, but says concerns about transportation must be addressed before the development can proceed.

“These conditions are going to have to be met as the build out occurs, otherwise they can’t build out,” says area Councillor Ward Sutherland.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "These conditions are going to have to be met as the build out occurs, otherwise they can't build out," says area Councillor Ward Sutherland.

Public consultations have been ongoing since May 2010.

“I think we’ve spent a lot of time on a consultation process with all the surrounding stake holders, as I mentioned, there [are] a lot of them: not just residents… Alberta Health services and everyone else in the surrounding area and we’ve spent a lot of time listening to what everyone has to say about the site,” says Mike Brescia, with Western Securities.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I think we've spent a lot of time on a consultation process with all the surrounding stake holders, as I mentioned, there [are] a lot of them: not just residents… Alberta Health services and everyone else in the surrounding area and we've spent a lot of time listening to what everyone has to say about the site," says Mike Brescia, with Western Securities.

A decision as to whether to sell the municipal reserve will take place on December 8^th.